OUTSPOKEN John McEnroe has no regrets about his Emma Raducanu mental health comments 12 months ago.
Raducanu, 19, withdrew from the Wimbledon fourth round against Ajla Tomljanovic on medical grounds after breathing heavily and feeling dizzy on court.
Emma Raducanu is preparing to make her Wimbledon return next week
She had to retire against Ajla Tomljanovic last year as she struggled to breathe
McEnroe called it on the night for the BBC, saying that “it appears that it just got a little bit too much, which is understandable”.
The fact he had questioned the teenager’s mental strength and fragility angered many in the sport, just weeks after Naomi Osaka had spoken about her own private issues off court.
Nine-time Wimbledon winner Martina Navratilova was particularly annoyed, telling McEnroe to “STFU – Shut The F*** Up”.
But the American, 63, defended his opinion at the time, saying: “You know, I wouldn’t say anything different. I have four girls of my own.
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“I’ve never met Emma. I should add that. I have never spoken to her in person. I’d like to at some point obviously.
“I was just giving an educated guess as to what I thought was happening, based on 45 years of being around the professional game.
“It’s not like she’s the first person it’s happened to.
“Maybe it’s the first person where it happened to where she was told, for whatever reason, not to continue playing. That may be the difference.
“You remember, go back to when Xavier Malisse thought he was having a heart attack in the semis, he called his doctor in Belgium or something and they stopped play for like 30 minutes and then he was allowed to continue.
“When I was playing, you were supposed to grit your teeth and bare it and get through it and tough it out.
“Now mental health is becoming more of a discussion point. Rightfully so.
“A lot of times for these young guys and girls, it’s a lot to deal with, when they’re not prepared.
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“If anything I was trying to be supportive of her in a way without exactly knowing what was happening.
“I’m on her side. I’d like to see her be able to reach her potential.”
Raducanu, who posed for a selfie with Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, is back practicing at Wimbledon as she recovers from a side strain in time for the Monday tournament start.
She will play without a coach in her corner, having axed German Torben Beltz in April after five months together.
Eyebrows were raised when she split from Andrew Richardson last September despite winning the US Open and the £1.8milllion first prize in New York.
McEnroe said: “Athletes and tennis players are pretty superstitious people.
“So to quality, win a major without losing the set, and then get rid of your coach, seems unusual, just from a superstitious point of view.
“She is a kid. She’s trying to grow up in front of the world and in front of people. And that can be difficult.
“It’s all happened so quickly. I don’t know if anyone could have possibly anticipated this would happen.
“There’s a high interest level. It’d be good for her and her family and the sport that she finds something as soon as possible that she feels more relaxed and able to do her thing.
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“As far as her health, I don’t know what her situation is physically. I know I saw her in Rome and she was struggling and it seemed like she was okay in Paris, physically.
“It obviously would be good for the game if she found her mojo again.”
- John McEnroe is part of the BBC’s Wimbledon 2022 line-up. Catch all the action across BBC TV, radio and online from Monday June 27.
John McEnroe was criticised for his comments in the wake of the drama
